Boks set to probe racism allegations

SPRINGBOK coach Peter de Villiers could find himself in hot water this week after he was ordered to answer for his allegations of racism directed towards critics of Ricky Januarie.

De Villiers last week suggested those who criticised Januarie for being out of form were racist.

Now the South African Rugby Union management committee has mandated president Oregan Hoskins to speak to De Villiers about “recent comments attributed to him”.

“The management committee was unanimous in its concern over the racial connotations used by De Villiers in discussing the performance of scrumhalf Ricky Januarie,” read the two-paragraph statement.

De Villiers has a history of outlandish, bizarre and contradictory behaviour with the media, which began on the first day he was appointed. Hoskins had said that “other issues other than rugby” had been factors in the selection of De Villiers, intimating that his racial make-up had played a role. De Villiers immediately denied this, saying he did not want to be seen as a “black coach”.

However, he has a history of pulling the race card on journalists, accusing one black rugby writer of not knowing whether he was “black or white”, and has murmured in private about another black writer having a conspiracy to get rid of him.

Last Monday, he was asked by an Afrikaans journalist if he was concerned at the form of Januarie, who was subsequently dropped from the Test 22 on Tuesday. He replied thus: “I’m not concerned about Ricky’s form. Ricky made one blunder and so did a few other players, too,” said De Villiers. When pressed as to whether he thought Januarie was being judged on the colour of his skin, he attempted to fudge the answer, but said that he did think so. On Saturday, after he was asked for his opinion on Schalk Burger’s yellow card for eye gouging in the first minute of the second Test at Loftus Versfeld, De Villiers gave a similarly obtuse and, according to one English journalist, “contemptuous” answer.

“I don’t think it was a card at all,” said De Villiers. “I did see the evidence, but it came in the first minute of the game. If you go and dissect the first game, you will see there were a lot of yellow cards missed.”

There are suggestions De Villiers has been on thin ice for some time with his employers, who are tired of his behaviour and his attitude towards the media and the public.

Meanwhile Springbok winger Bryan Habana has revealed that top French sides are chasing his signature, but he plans on taking some time to consider his options when the Lions tour has concluded.

“I would love to play in the Top 14 where Bayonne, Toulouse and Stade Francais have approached me,” said Habana. “But I’m going to give myself two weeks to reflect. Staying in South Africa tempts me also, but in any case, I won’t be going to England or Wales, because of the weather.”